Risen from the Ashes
by bob lemon
Summary: This story parallels the last chapter of PH:AA in which Phoenix attempts to make Edgeworth revoke his letter of resignation. Phoenix/Edgeworth


A/N: Hello everyone! This is a fanfic for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, supplementing (or slightly AUing) about half of the last chapter "Rise from this Ashes." This fiction is FULL OF SPOILERS so if you don't want those, wait until you've beaten the game to read this. I guess you don't have to have direct gamer experience to enjoy this fiction, but I'm not sure this'll make sense unless you at least know who the characters are.

If you've come across this from my Eyeshield 21 fanfiction/profile, sorry but there is no raunchy sex in this one (yet...) This is meant to be WAFF and a oneshot...

Buuutttt... I might consider adding a second chapter (that would probably be full of smut). If that's what you want, drop a REVIEW. If that's what you don't want, also drop a REVIEW. If you don't care, drop a REVIEW anyway. Thanks!

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After speaking with Lana for the final time on February 24, Phoenix sent Ema directly home. Not only was he still worried about the confession that Lana would not doubt make in court the next morning, but also about the disturbing evidence he had found in Gant's office that same afternoon. Why would Ema's print be on that piece of cloth? Unless...

Phoenix shook his head. He didn't even want to consider that possibility. Ema was not a killer.

Although Phoenix was feeling pretty flustered right now (he was up against the chief of police after all...) he knew that there was probably at least one person more flustered than him. Gant had already taken his toll on Phoenix in only three days, the attorney couldn't image what the others involved in this trial had put up with for two years or more.

And he had to admit, that letter of resignation had him worried.

Would Edgeworth really just give up and resign? Phoenix didn't think so, but that letter had been real and Edgeworth had been dead serious about it.

Wright shivered, although it wasn't particularly cold for February. He needed to get to Edgeworth's office before the man left again. Although it was getting late, Pheonix didn't doubt that the prosecutor was still there, preparing for the case tomorrow. At least it seemed that he was on Phoenix's side this time instead of only trying to prove him wrong. Maybe together they could find the truth to both cases.

Getting to the High Prosecutor's Office from the Detention center (a trip he had made more than a few times the last three days) was fairly simple. Getting in was not quite so.

The building had been closed, allowing access to only those with ID cards (something that Phoenix was finding very convenient to have these days...) After loitering around for fifteen minutes outside, a security guard finally came out, probably with the intention of making Wright leave. After flashing his attorney's badge and a few minutes of convincing the officer he was not a criminal, Phoenix got in and made a beeline for the elevator.

He went up fifteen floors, the doors opening into a gently lit maroon room. Phoenix held back a sigh of relief. Edgeworth was here after all.

Phoenix stepped around the corner, finally bringing himself fully into the room. Edgeworth was indeed sitting at his giant desk, which was much more cluttered than it had been earlier, looking back and forth between three papers and running his hand through his grey hair. He still hadn't noticed Phoenix, despite the fact that he was less than ten feet away and that the elevator had surely made a ding when he got off.

Finally, after a moment of observation, Phoenix cleared his throat loudly. Edgeworth jumped, crumpling a few of the papers with his fist. This was by far the worst Phoenix had ever seen the other attorney, and probably with good reason. If he didn't pin down Gant tomorrow, Edgeworth would have a ruined reputation and probably be out of a job. Assuming he didn't resign first.

"W-Wright!" Edgeworth got over his surprise and glared for a second. "What are you doing here?" Pheonix rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and smiled.

"I just came to see how you were..." he replied lightly. The little experience he did have in court had taught him not to give away your true intentions prematurely.

Edgeworth scoffed in return. "Oh please. You know I'm the prosecutor in this case-" he started, but paused.

"Ah, but I didn't come to talk about the case," Phoenix pointed out, thankful for the opening. Edgeworth snapped his mouth shut and brooded behind his desk. Phoenix sauntered over to the oversized couch and took a seat, never breaking eye contact with the other attorney. For a moment he thought back to what Ema had said when she first saw the couch. He pictured Edgeworth laying down on it, his purple jacket draped over the back, yawning and curling up on the bright cushions. Phoenix could feel his eyes twinkle in amusement at the thought.

Edgeworth glared again and began to gather up papers on his desk, obviously not wanting Phoenix to get a closer look at any of them. He started pouring things into his desk drawers until there was nothing left, leaving it as organized and bare as it had been earlier. Maybe even more so. Phoenix was sure he saw Edgeworth grab a paperweight and his computer mouse in the process of cleaning and shove them into the top compartment of the desk.

"Well...?" Edgeworth asked after a few minutes of staring at each other in silence. Phoenix dug into his pocket and eventually drew out the letter of resignation he had thiefed earlier. He presented it to Edgeworth.

"Ah, so that's where it went..." Edgeworth took his letter back and looked over it. It seemed like he was almost too embarrassed to say anything about it. "I think... I might have been a little premature with this..."

For a second, it was silent again.

"Are you really going to resign?" Phoenix asked, somehow hiding the worry he felt from his voice.

Edgeworth looked down at his desk and unconsciously grabbed his bicep with his right hand, displaying that "pity" look that Phoenix had become all too familiar with during the last case, when he had been defending Edgeworth himself. Another moment of silence later, Phoenix stood and approached the desk. Edgeworth stood, too, facing Phoenix as he came.

"Edgeworth..." Phoenix couldn't put into words what he wanted to say. He didn't want Edgeworth to worry, but it was more than just that.

As he was just a little bit taller than Edgeworth, Phoenix felt like he was looming over the other man by the time they were only a few feet apart. Of course, Edgeworth was slouching pretty bad, due to his mood. Phoenix had walked around the side of the desk in order to fully examine the scene (and maybe get a glimpse of something forgotten...) but his attention ended up not wandering from Edgeworth. As he got closer, he realized the other man was almost shaking. He wasn't looking at Wright anymore, but instead at the floor.

Just as he had anticipated, Edgeworth was much more upset than he had been letting on. To find out that it had really been Gant's fault that his reputation had been so tarnished up until now and that he was being framed _again_...Phoenix couldn't just let him give up.

They were close... well, not that close. There was still so much to clear up in court tomorrow, not to mention all the tricks that Gant could pull, but... they were still pretty damn close.

Phoenix placed his hand lightly on Edgeworth's shoulder. Instead of comforting him, the shaking only seemed to get worse.

"Wright... I... I don't want..." His voice was shaking too. "I don't want to quit...!"

"Edgeworth... I..." Phoenix still couldn't come up with the right words. His hand slipped to the back of Edgeworth's neck and he brought his other arm around the attorney's back, pulling Edgeworth against his chest. He didn't think a mere hug would make things better, but it was all he could think of due to his lack of words.

Edgeworth stopped shaking and stood stiff for a minute.

"W-Wright?" His hands suddenly clutched at Phoenix's suit jacket.

"We'll get him, so don't worry..." Phoenix inwardly cringed. Now he couldn't even talk normally. He sounded like an idiot.

Edgeworth didn't reply, but he did seem to be relaxing a bit. Phoenix humored the both of them for a few more minutes, although he felt a little awkward doing so. He was waiting for Edgeworth to pull away, which he thought would have happened in the first instant, but the prosecutor didn't seem to mind the intimacy.

Finally, when Phoenix could feel his arms getting tired, he pulled back a little, looking down at Edgeworth. His eyes were closed and he was breathing rather regularly, instead of hyperventilating as he had been before. Phoenix smiled to himself. Edgeworth really did have his cute moments.

"How long has it been since you've slept?" Phoenix recalled in the last case that Edgeworth had always had a hard time sleeping, ever since the murder of his father. Phoenix leaned back and Edgeworth began to slip towards the floor. Phoenix caught him, of course, and dragged him over to the elaborate couch. Edgeworth seemed to come to himself, just as Phoenix was making him (at least look) comfortable.

"...Wright?" Phoenix perked up at his name, looking quizically at Edgeworth's barely opened eyes. "...are you going to leave?" The prosecutor sluggishly raised a hand to rub his eye.

Phoenix adverted his eyes, embarrassed. He had definitely accomplished his objective (comforting Edgeworth) and was going to go get some rest for himself before the big trial tomorrow. "Uh... Well... I..."

"Don't leave... Please... d-don't leave..." Edgeworth looked like he was in a daze, but his upset attitude was coming back. Phoenix wasn't quite sure what to do. He had wrapped up what he could today, but still...

Phoenix sighed. He couldn't say no.

There was a little space left of the couch by Edgeworth's head, since his feet were hanging off the other end. Phoenix lifted Edgeworth up enough to sit himself down and Edgeworth promptly made his head comfortable on Phoenix's lap. The defense attorney blushed and averted his eyes. What was he, a pillow? Damn that man!

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Phoenix had told himself that he would only stay until he was sure that Edgeworth was completely asleep and then make a discreet exit.

It turned out that he fell asleep before Edgeworth even did.

The next morning, they were both rudely awaken by Wright's cell phone playing an obnoxious beeping techno tune.

"...the hell?!" Edgeworth had almost fallen off the couch in his attempt to get up. Phoenix was having his own problems, struggling to get the annoying cell phone out of his pocket. With Edgeworth finally off of him, he stood and finally fished the phone out.

"H-hello?" he asked, trying to hold back a yawn. His free hand began to rub his forehead, trying to wake himself up. Oh, his back was so stiff from sleeping upright on that couch!

"Nick!! Where are you?! I came to your office this morning and the door was locked and you aren't here and my sister's trial is in an hour...!" Ema's voice boomed into the receiver, making Phoenix wince.

"Ema, Ema... Calm down..." He began to rub his eyes now. Oh damn, he really needed to get going. "I'll be there in just a minute, okay?" He was lucky that he still had an hour left. He never imaged he would have overslept, sitting on a couch no less. Phoenix rubbed his sore back and stifled a groan.

He pressed the "end" button, hanging up on Ema, and turned back to Edgeworth, who had gotten up and stood behind his desk, looking out the window. Even when Phoenix had finished the phone call, he hadn't turned back to look at him.

"Well..." Wright finally broke the silence. "I guess I'll see you at the trial..." He raised in hand in goodbye, but Edgeworth still didn't turn around. He was probably too embarrassed after his actions the night before. Phoenix stalled a few more seconds by double checking his belongings and walking ever so slowly to the elevator, but the prosecutor never turned around.

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"Edgeworth, you can come out, pal!" Detective Gumshoe roared as he patted Pheonix on the back again. That was about the sixth time he had done it since the trial had finished. Not only had Wright and Edgeworth succeeded in proving Lana not guilty, but they had also gotten Gant to admit to both murders. Finally, the reign of that corrupt chief of police was over!

Wright followed Gumshoes gaze, wondering where Edgeworth had been hiding. He seemed to have walked out of thin air.

Phoenix sent him a smile, unable to hold himself back, and in response Edgeworth averted his eyes and looked embarrassed. Maybe... was that a little blush? Phoenix's smile only got bigger.

When he had finally joined the large (and excited) group, he spoke quitely. "I just wanted to congradulate you is all. Pulled another one out of thin air-" he spoke directly to Phoenix, but still could not meet his eyes.

Lana came up behind the prosecutor and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder. "He couldn't have done it without your help, Edgeworth. You led him to victory." Phoenix couldn't agree more, but he thought he would just keep that to himself. "I owe you two so much!" she said, finally turning to Phoenix and smiling. It seemed like no one could keep those off their faces after such a tight trial. Even Edgeworth seemed to be holding back the upturn of his lips.

After clearing his throat, Edgeworth simply looked more embarrassed than he had up until then. "I don't think so. Wright just-" Edgeworth finally met his eyes and immediately stopped talking. Phoenix hadn't stopped watching him since Gumshoe had alerted the attorney of the others presence.

"That's not true, is it, Wright? Don't you have something that would prove you needed teamwork?" Lana asked, her hand still suspiciously on Edgeworth's shoulder. Phoenix broke their locked gaze and glanced down to his pocket. He did indeed have something that proved he couldn't have solved the case without Edgeworth's help. He pulled out the reaffixed evidence list and presented it to the other attorney.

"If I didn't have your part of the evidence list, we never would have know about that broken vase..." Phoenix explained. He held the paper up to Edgeworth, who tentatively took it from him. It had been sloppily taped, but the list was nonetheless whole.

"I see..." Edgeworth replied in a whisper. He stared at the sheet for a few more seconds before thrusting it back into Phoenix's hand. They touched for a second, and Phoenix burned where Edgeworth had hit his hand. Edgeworth must have been burnt too, since he pulled away so quickly. Phoenix raised and eyebrow and smirked at the Prosecutor, who was avoiding his eyes again.

"Well, I should be getting Lana back to the detention center. I could only steal her away for half an hour, and that cost me too much!" Gumshoe interjected, consistent with his record of bad timing.

"How much did it cost you?" Mia asked, looking surprised and worried.

"Oh, don't worry. I put it on Mr. Wright's tab."

The smile finally dropped from the attorney's face. "WHAT?!"

Gumshoe smiled guiltily and rushed Lana out of the room, mumbling something about his paychecks not being that big. Mia watched them worriedly and then took after them, throwing out her own excuse.

"I'll see you later, okay?" she said and waved at the two attorneys left standing in the emptying lobby.

There was silence again. Phoenix was a little anxious to see the bill, but even that couldn't put a damper on the victory he had won today.

Edgeworth slowly started to sneak towards the door, pretending to ignore Phoenix and that there time was done. Nothing more to discuss.

"Hey, wait a minute!" The defense attorney caught him before he reached the door. He held Edgeworth's arm lightly and forced him to turn around. The snotty look was back on Edgeworth's face.

"If you think I'm going to get down on the ground and-" he started in an uppity voice, but Phoenix laughed and cut him off.

"Do you want to go get a drink? In celebration?" Phoenix asked, now feeling a little nervous himself. Edgeworth didn't seem like the type that went drinking often, but everyone had to drink sometime? Right? Right? Especially after just getting your entire career back and clearing your name.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

"I suppose..."

Phoenix smiled brightly and finally released Edgeworth's arm. "Let me go grab my suitecase... I'll be right back, okay?"

Edgeworth rolled his eyes and nodded. As Phoenix was rushing away, he could have sworn he saw the smile that Edgeworth had been holding back up until now break through.


End file.
